Friday Thrive

Friday Thrive

Happy Friday! With each week of warmer and sunnier weather, Friday is a more and more welcome treat. I can’t wait until weekends are spent more outside!

Gear Up

We recently replaced our Nalgene water bottles with Hydroflasks and I am so happy I made the switch. Water just tastes better out of the Hydroflask – fresher and less plasticky. They’re easier to hold – and fit in my car’s cup holders! Since Hydroflasks are double vacuumed sealed, I can also use it for coffee – and goodness knows, I drink a lot of coffee. Hydroflask also supports three outdoors non-profit organizations with their Parks for All Initiative – 5% of their proceeds from each water bottle sold support these groups. 

Friday Thrive

Run 

My foot is feeling better already as I follow my recovery protocol for mild plantar fasciitis. I was pulling in the reins on running, both mentally and physically, late last week and earlier this week. With a noticeable difference in the tightness in my heel and the arrival of spring weather (although we are still getting so much rain), I now feel much more ready to train hard again. I ran my first speed workout in several weeks and while the repetitions at 5K pace singed my lungs, it felt so wonderful to run fast again. 

Friday Thrive

Read

“Why Setting More than One Race Goal Isn’t a Good Idea” from Women’s Running

My mantra for training and racing at the California International Marathon  was “the body achieves what the mind believes.” Expectations shape a run or race – if you don’t believe you can achieve your goals, then you won’t. Your expectations shape your mind, and your mind shapes how you respond to those moments in a race when running is incredibly uncomfortable. 

I’ve received and given the advice of setting multiple goals on race day, but Allie (Vita Train 4 Life) suggests that maybe multiple goals isn’t the most prudent approach for racing. According to her interviews with sports psychologists, setting A, B, and C goals can confuse the mind or make you subconsciously settle for less because of how the multiple goals mess with your expectation. 

This doesn’t mean you have to always set time goals: setting a PR, running negative splits, or nailing your nutrition are all other goals that you can have a single focus on. 

I also like Allie’s article because it removes the temptation to sandbag goals. Just because you have a single big goal doesn’t mean you will achieve it, but that’s better for you than saying “oh, I just want to break 2 hours” when you are training to run a sub-1:45 half marathon. Grappling with a missed goal only makes you a stronger runner, and achieving a big single goal is ineffably uplifting. Own your goals. 

Wear

Birkenstocks! Thanks to everyone who recommended these! Funny enough, I was considering them earlier that week when we were shopping at REI, so I ordered a pair of the Mayari sandals. They are so gloriously comfortable that I don’t mind wearing them around the house…and to walk the dogs…and just out and about. 

Eat

I think you all know my indulgence foods of choice by now: donuts, beer, and good pub fries (not fast food fries – those are gross to me). Last Saturday, Ryan and I visited one of our favorite breweries (Redhook Brewery) and enjoyed a pint of beer and a shared ordered of fries outdoors. (Full confession: I also had a donut that morning after our run from a local bakery). 

Friday Thrive

My theory on healthy eating is that of balance and moderation –  to allow those little indulgences as long as a majority of your eating focuses on nutritious high-quality foods. Some days, my diet is a nutritionist’s dream – oatmeal with fruit and chia seeds for breakfast, sweet potatoes, kale, and quinoa for lunch, yogurt for a snack, and chicken breast, potato, and more veggies at dinner. Other days, I eat the fries while drinking a beer. Nutritionists do say that it’s healthy to indulge – and food is about so much more than nutrients. 

[Tweet “Happy Friday! What run, read, gear up, eat, and wear this week via @thisrunrecipes @HydroFlask @WomensRunning #running “]

Do you set one goal or multiple goals for races?
What indulgent food are you craving right now?

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16 Responses

    1. You should really get some! On their website, they have more than just the traditional ones – everything from sandals to boots. It’s amazing how comfortable they are.

    1. I really liked her article also! My best races were when I had smaller, non-time goals and then one time goal in mind. When I have a looser goal or multiple time goals, there’s not a huge PR. Sports psychology is interesting stuff!

  1. I’m kind of obsessed with fries and potatoes right now. My soup today, my kimchi fry attack last week… and it has been too long since I”ve had my precious sweet potato fries. I home we are both back on the straight and narrow, running wise. My hamstring still feels a bit weird, but I gave it two days off so it can shut its mouth.
    And I totally agree with you about Nalgenes… part of the reason that I could never get into them

  2. I said this in Allies blog but I agree about ABC goals. I’ve never been able to do that. I know in my heart what I really want so why pretend I’m going to be truly happy with backup goals? I think people are afraid of the sadness of missing their big goal, which is totally understandable, but I see that as the risk I take as a goal chasing runner. Making my goal makes it all worthwhile; missing it is how I will learn and grow and get stronger.

    I looooove my hydroflask!! Mines highlighter neon yellow and I’m obsessed. So worth the splurge. I’m scared to use it for coffee though because I don’t want the bottle to taste like coffee for weeks on end

    1. There’s something to be said about the value of missing a goal. I haven’t used mine for coffee yet but I am curious about how long/if it holds onto the taste!

  3. I was thinking about getting a Hydroflask too! Which size did you get? I heard that the really big ones don’t fit in the car cup holders.

  4. I always set a few goals for races. Except this Saturday, where my only goal is to have fun and enjoy running. Above all I think that goal is the most important to have, along with finishing injury-free. No finish time is worth an injury.

    I don’t like French fries much, but my favorite indulgence lately is Easter candy. I love those cadbury mini eggs!

    1. No finish time is worth an injury indeed. I like Cadbury eggs a lot – they are my favorite candy for Easter and I am so excited to have them in a couple weeks!

  5. I just realized my Nalgene is almost 10 years old…and while it does taste like plastic, I haven’t made the switch to stainless because I don’t like the metal flavor any better. (Weirdly, I’m fine drinking hot coffee out of a stainless bottle, but I think it makes cold beverages taste metallic.) I use a glass bottle at work but don’t want to add that much weight to my hiking pack…so I avoid the water bottle dilemma by pretty much always using a hydration bladder.

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